Trump says he’s brought ‘profound change’ to Washington

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn as he arrives at the White House in Washington, Friday, April 28, 2017, returning from traveling to Atlanta to speak at the National Rifle Association Leadership Forum. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

By LAURIE KELLMAN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday marked his 100th day in office by saying he had brought “profound change” to Washington and reaffirming that “my only allegiance” is to those he governs.

On a threshold that Trump has both derided and tried to define, the president also said he is putting Americans first even as he learns on the job.

“My only allegiance is to you, our wonderful citizens,” Trump said in his weekly radio address.

It was a preview of a day on which Trump was traveling to Pennsylvania to emphasize such priorities as American manufacturing, better trade deals for the U.S. and his underdog victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in November. He also was promoting a still-to-be defined tax cut plan and the nation’s strong economy, on which many of his political fortunes rest. Meanwhile, North Korea’s missile launch Saturday signaled its continued defiance against the U.S., China and other nations, on which Trump tweeted: “Bad!”

Trump’s 100th day events are set in politically important Pennsylvania, which he won with 48 percent. It was the first time the state had voted for a Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Trump planned to sign an executive order directing the Commerce Department and the U.S. trade representative to conduct a study of U.S. trade agreements. The goal is to determine whether America is being treated fairly by its trading partners and the 164-nation World Trade Organization.

Trump was scheduled to visit the AMES Companies in Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County, which has manufactured shovels since 1774. He was then to hold a campaign-style rally in Harrisburg, the state capital. Democrats are planning their own rally nearby.

Trump’s 100-day rally was a bit of counterprogramming from the former reality television star. Back in Washington, media organizations and a few stars were gathering on Saturday for the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Trump, who has derided journalists as “dishonest” and even enemies of the American people, is the first president since 1981 to stay away from the event. That year, Ronald Reagan was recovering from an assassination attempt.